I was advised (by Village Marine who makes our unit) that the hotter the weather, the more often it needs to run.

we would run ours at least once a week or a bit less, even during the summer in the Sea of Cortez, needed or not. That was more than enough to keep it all good.

I also got a LOT of different views on "pickling" it. One was it must be done once every 3 months, others went on out to it does not need to be redone for as long as it's stored! I can say that after not pickling for almost 2 years (due to a family emergency) it ran, and after a good flushing, was producing the SAME amount of fresh water as it did the day before we preserved it! I measured it using a measuring cup and stop watch. NOT a gauge on the unit.

They ARE MAGIC, are they not!

Greg